28  Jesus: The Light of the World  (John 8:12–21)

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come. Then He said again to them, “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” (8:12–21)

We live in a dark world—a world eclipsed by the long shadow of sin. In desperation, the lost people around us search frantically for truth, without the facility to find it. Because of their spiritual blindness, they only stumble deeper into sin’s hopeless gloom—finding themselves utterly trapped in the snares of immorality, idolatry, and all “the unfruitful deeds of darkness” (Eph. 5:11).

The Bible describes sinners as “those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness” (Prov. 2:13); consequently, “The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble” (4:19). Yet those who foolishly “substitute darkness for light and light for darkness” (Isa. 5:20) are without excuse, “for even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Rom. 1:21); they are “darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart” (Eph. 4:18). As a result of that ignorance, “the fool walks in darkness” (Eccl. 2:14), and “he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes” (John 12:35).

Into this sindarkened world came Jesus Christ as “the Light [that] shines in the darkness” (1:5); “the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man” (v. 9). When He was an infant, Simeon called Him “a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:32), while Matthew records that His ministry in Galilee was “to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned’” (Matt. 4:14–16). Jesus Christ is, as He declared, the Light of the world (v. 12; cf. 3:19–21; 9:5; 12:35–36, 46).

One would think that sinners, hopelessly lost in the darkness, would flock to the Light. Yet in a strange paradox, people love the very darkness that ensares them. Like a dying man who cherishes his deadly disease, they cherish the sin that produces spiritual and eternal death. In 3:19 Jesus explained, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”

But those who through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ “turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God … receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in [God]” (Acts 26:18). They are “rescued … from the domain of darkness, and transferred … to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13), becoming “sons of light and sons of day,” no longer “of night nor of darkness” (1 Thess. 5:5). Because God “has called [them] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9), those who “were formerly darkness … now … are Light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8).

In 7:37–38 Jesus presented Himself as the source of living water (see the discussion of those verses in chapter 26 of this volume). Here Jesus made another astounding claim about Himself—that He is the Light of the World. As before, His words generated severe opposition, especially from the Jewish religious leaders.

These verses may be discussed under five headings: the area in which the conflict took place, the Lord’s assertion, the leaders’ accusation, the Lord’s answer to that accusation, and His announcement of their impending judgment.

THE AREA

These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come. (8:20)

The setting for the Lord’s confrontation with the religious leaders was the temple treasury. The reference was not to a building, but to the thirteen trumpet-shaped receptacles or treasure boxes located in the section in the temple complex called the Court of the Women (the second outermost court). It was so named because it was as far into the temple area as women were normally permitted to go. Each treasure box was marked to designate how the money put in it would ostensibly be used (for the temple tax and various offerings). It was at this site that Jesus would later observe a poor widow making her cent offering (Mark 12:41–44; Luke 21:1–4).

Since the Court of the Women was a busy public location, it was ideal for Jesus to teach there. The Sanhedrin met in a nearby hall, almost within earshot of the Lord’s voice, yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come. Jesus was always under the sovereign control of His Father and the divine schedule, so that His enemies were powerless to harm Him before the appointed time (cf. the discussion of this point in chapters 23 and 25 of this volume).

THE ASSERTION

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (8:12)

As noted in the previous chapter of this volume, the word again appears to link this passage with 7:37–52, rather than 7:53–8:11, likely not in the original. More important, this is the second of seven “I am” statements in John’s gospel that reveal different facets of Christ’s nature as God and His work as Savior (cf. the discussion of 6:35 in chapter 20 of this volume). John had already used the metaphor of light to describe Jesus (1:4, 8–9; cf. Rev. 21:23), and it was one rich in Old Testament allusions (cf. Ex. 13:21–22; 14:19–20; Neh. 9:12, 19; Pss. 27:1; 36:9; 43:3; 44:3; 104:2; 119:105, 130; Prov. 6:23; Isa. 60:19–20; Ezek. 1:4, 13, 26–28; Mic. 7:8; Hab. 3:3–4; Zech. 14:5b–7).

By claiming to be the Light of the world Jesus was clearly claiming to be God (cf. Ps. 27:1; Isa. 60:19; 1 John 1:5) and to be Israel’s Messiah, sent by God as the “light to the nations” (Isa. 42:6; cf. 49:6; Mal. 4:2).

Jesus Christ alone brings the light of salvation to a sin-cursed world. To the darkness of falsehood He is the light of truth; to the darkness of ignorance He is the light of wisdom; to the darkness of sin He is the light of holiness; to the darkness of sorrow He is the light of joy; and to the darkness of death He is the light of life.

The analogy of light, as with Jesus’ earlier use of the metaphor of living water (7:37–39), was particularly relevant to the Feast of Tabernacles. The daily water-pouring ceremony had its nightly counterpart in a lamp-lighting ceremony. In the very Court of the Women where Jesus was speaking, four huge candelabra were lit, pushing light up into the night sky like a searchlight. So brilliant was their light that one ancient Jewish source declared, “There was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect [their] light” (cited in F. F. Bruce, The Gospel of John [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983], 206 n. 1). They served as a reminder of the pillar of fire by which God had guided Israel in the wilderness (Ex. 13:21–22). The people—even the most dignified leaders—danced exuberantly around the candelabra through the night, holding blazing torches in their hands and singing songs of praise. It was against the backdrop of that ceremony that Jesus made the stunning announcement that He is the true Light of the world.

But unlike the temporary and stationary candelabra, Jesus is a light that never goes out and a light to be followed. Just as Israel followed the pillar of fire in the wilderness (Ex. 40:36–38), so Jesus called men to follow Him (John 1:43; 10:4, 27; 12:26;21:19, 22; Matt.4:19;8:22;9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21). The one who follows Him, Jesus promised, will not walk in the darkness of sin, the world, and Satan, but will have the Light that produces spiritual life (cf. 1:4; Pss. 27:1; 36:9; Isa. 49:6; Acts 13:47; 2 Cor. 4:4–6; Eph. 5:14; 1 John 1:7). Having been illumined by Jesus, believers reflect His light in the dark world (Matt. 5:14; Eph. 5:8; Phil. 2:15;

1 Thess. 5:5); “They, having kindled their torches at His bright flame, show to the world something of His light” (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 438).

Akoloutheō (follows) is sometimes used in a general sense to speak of the crowds who followed Jesus (e.g., 6:2; Matt. 4:25; 8:1; 12:15; Mark 2:15; 3:7; Luke 7:9; 9:11). But it can also refer, more specifically, to following Him as a true disciple (e.g., 1:43; 10:4, 27; 12:26; Matt. 4:20, 22; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:27; Mark 9:38). In that context, it has the connotation of complete submission to Jesus as Lord. God does not accept a halfhearted following of Christ—of receiving Him as Savior, but not following Him as Lord. The person who comes to Jesus comes to Him on His terms, or he does not come at all—a truth Jesus illustrated in Matthew 8:18–22:

An even more striking illustration of that principle is found in Jesus’ dialogue with the rich young ruler:

In a shocking contradiction of contemporary evangelistic principles, Jesus actually turned away an eager prospect. But the Lord was not interested in making salvation artificially easy for people, but genuine. He wanted their absolute allegiance, obedience, and submission. In Luke 9:23–24 He said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” (For a discussion of the biblical view of the lordship of Christ, see John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus, rev. ed. [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994], and The Gospel According to the Apostles [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1993.)

Following Christ is not burdensome, as walking in the light illustrates. It is far easier than stumbling around in the dark (cf. Jer. 13:16).

THE ACCUSATION

So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” (8:13)

Not unexpectedly, the Pharisees reacted negatively to Jesus’ claim. In what was likely a mocking reference to the Lord’s own words in 5:31 (“If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true.”), they said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” According to the Old Testament Law, every fact in a legal matter had to be established by the testimony of more than one witness (Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6; 19:15; cf. Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim.5:19; Heb. 10:28). In typical fashion, the Pharisees refused to consider the possibility that Jesus’ claim might be true. Instead, they arbitrarily dismissed it on a legal technicality.

In reality, of course, there were others who could testify to the truthfulness of Jesus’ claims (e.g., John the Baptist [1:7–8, 19–27, 34, 36; 3:26; 5:33], the Twelve [1:49; 6:69; Matt. 14:33; 16:16], the Samaritan woman [John 4:39], Martha [11:27], those who witnessed His raising of Lazarus [12:17], Jesus’ works [5:36; 10:25], the Scriptures [5:39], and, above all, the Father [see the discussion of vv. 17–18 below]). Thus, there is no contradiction between Jesus’ statements here and in 5:31; He was not, as the Pharisees alleged, the only witness who could verify His claims.

The Pharisees’ skeptical response illustrates just how obtuse unbelief is; it is never convinced no matter how compelling the evidence. Jesus performed miracles unparalleled in human history (15:24). Yet “though He had performed so many signs before them, … they were not believing in Him” (12:37; cf. Matt. 11:20–24). Nonetheless, to those who honestly seek the truth Jesus promised, “If anyone is willing to do [the Father’s] will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself” (John 7:17).

THE ANSWER

Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” (8:14–19)

In response to the Pharisees’ issue of single testimony, Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true.” Obviously, the testimony of one person may be true, even if not corroborated by anyone else. The demand for two or three witnesses was a means for establishing the truth in a court of law. What Jesus said was the truth in utter perfection, since God is true (Rom. 3:4; Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18). Still, He gave His enemies three evidences to support His self-testimony as the truth, each related to His deity—the very thing that scandalized them the most.

First, Jesus supported His claim by referring to His divine origin and destiny, while the Pharisees were ignorant of both. Therefore He was qualified to testify about Himself, but they were not. “For I know where I came from and where I am going,” He told them, “but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.” The Lord was always conscious of His heavenly origin and destiny; in 16:28 He said: “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father” (cf. 3:11–13; 5:36–37; 6:38; 7:28–29, 33; 8:42; 10:36; 13:3; 14:28; 16:5; 17:5, 8, 13, 18). His self-knowledge and divine omniscience (cf. 2:25; 16:30; 21:17) thoroughly confirmed His testimony.

His opponents, on the other hand, had no such knowledge; they did not know either where He came from or where He was going. Like the crowd (7:27), they thought that they knew, but were terribly mistaken. In fact, they were unaware of His earthly birthplace (7:41–42, 52), let alone His heavenly origin.

Jesus further exposed their ignorance when He declared to them, “You judge according to the flesh;” according to earthly standards; as sinful men in a fallen world. They not only understood nothing of His heavenly origin, but even what they thought they knew about Him was incorrect. Thus, their judgment of Him was limited, superficial, and wrong. Proud, arrogant, and self-righteous, they had failed to heed Jesus’ earlier admonition, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (7:24). Like the pagans of whom Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:21 they, too, “through [their] wisdom did not come to know God.” To the Jews Jesus was “a stumbling block” (1 Cor. 1:3; cf. 2:14). They were the opposite of the apostle Paul, who wrote to these same Corinthians, “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer” (2 Cor. 5:16). Because believers have spiritual understanding, we see Christ for who He truly is, and even see all other people as spiritual and eternal souls.

There are two ways of understanding Jesus’ statement, “I am not judging anyone.” He may have meant that He did not judge according to the flesh (superficially, externally) like the Pharisees did (cf. D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991], 339). Or the Lord may have meant that He did not judge anyone yet, since “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (3:17; cf. 12:47; Luke 9:56). In the future, however, Jesus will judge, “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son” (5:22; cf. v. 27; 9:39; Matt. 16:27; 25:31–46; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Rom. 2:16;2 Tim.4:1).

The second support for the credibility of Jesus’ testimony is based on His divine nature shared with the Father. “But even if I do judge,” the Lord went on to say, “My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.” By insisting that He was one with the Father in judgment, Jesus was claiming essential equality with Him. In 5:17 He made a similar claim: “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” Enraged, “the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (v. 18). Jesus’ testimony was true because He was of the same nature as the one true, living God (10:30).

As a final vindication that His self-witness was true, Jesus rebutted the Pharisees’ false allegation that He was His only witness (v. 13). In the law to which they had appealed and which was binding on them it has been written that the testimony of two men is true (Deut. 17:6; 19:15). Reinforcing the very claim that most outraged His enemies, the Lord then provided those two witnesses, declaring, “I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” In perfect agreement, the Father and the Son bear witness to the truth of Jesus’ claims (cf. v. 29 and the discussion of 5:31–32, 37–38 in chapter 17 of this volume). He called on God as witness to the validity of His claim, since “if Jesus really stands in the relationship to God in which He says He does, then no mere man is in a position to bear witness. No human witness can authenticate a divine relationship” (Morris, The Gospel According to John, 443).

Predictably, even that did not satisfy the Pharisees. Thinking in purely human terms (cf. 3:4; 6:42, 52), they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Were they asking to see Joseph, who likely had died by this time, to prove Jesus had an earthly father? In light of verse 41, were they intending to insult Him as illegitimate? In any case, they rejected Him. Jesus’ reply was simple and devastating: “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” The very fact that they thought like they did proves that they did not know the Father. In Matthew 11:27 Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” Those who reject the Son give incontrovertible proof that they do not know the eternal Father (cf. 1:18; 14:6–9). Although they prided themselves on knowing Him, the Pharisees—blinded by their own hard-heartedness—were actually ignorant of spiritual reality (Matt. 15:14; 23:16, 24).

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

Then He said again to them, “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.”(8:21)

In 7:33–34 Jesus had warned the crowd, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” Here He said again that He would go away (a reference to His impending death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father). But this time the Lord added the warning that those who reject Him will die in their sin and not be with Him in the Father’s presence in the glory of heaven. Later in this dialogue He would repeat that warning in even stronger terms (v. 24). The reality of this sobering truth, which is repeated throughout Scripture, is that those who reject Christ will suffer the consequences of their sin—eternal separation from God. By refusing the Light of the world, they doom themselves to the eternal darkness of hell (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).